
Jl^OHG oJthejlEJlRT. 
j^8 cinder p. (joK. 



To tKem that have 
And yet shall have. 



THE BETROTHAL 



OF 



RONALD AND THUSNELDA 



A DRAMATIC POEM 



BY 

NEANDER P. COOK 



WITH EIGHT MOTTO-ILLUSTRATIONS. 



THE WEIMAR PRESS 

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. 

1908 



LIBRARY of CONGRESS 
Two Copies Received 

NOV 25 1903 

Cepyri^ni Entry ^ 

ouss a^'wc no 



T 



rt> 






COPYRIGHT 1908 

THE WEIMAR PRESS 

(p. cook) 

Operatic and Stage Rights Expressly Reserved. 



PRONUNCIATIONS: 



Tristan trist-an, 

Thusnelda tos-n61-da. 

Ragni rdg-nee. 

F^nsalir. 

Nereid n^-re-eed 

Loki.:l^-kee 



Isolde is-61-day. 
Sigune sig-06-nay. 
Cunina cu-ni-na. 
Freya fri-a. 
Naiad ni-ad 



PREFATORY. 

Gentle Reader! This book, 
Like other tomes, 
Its pictures hath, 

But not zvith printer-presses painted. 
In thy own soul's color 
The images are drawn. 
Sit and ponder! 
The motto— text is given thee: 
The sermon preach thyself. 



*Tut off thy shoes 
From off thy feet : 

For the place whereon thou standest, 
Is holy ground." 

—Bible. 




The Bridal Hour 



) BRIDAL hour, thou holy hour 
Hour of wonder and delight ! 
Thy mystery have angels laid, 
But tasted not the perfect bliss 

Of youth and maiden. 

With the dew of hope upon their brow, 

To the heart's coy trysting come. 

Entwined in each other's arms. 

In Amor's caldron seething. 

Eye looking into eye, 

Soul into soul outpouring, 

Drinking deep and full 

The Bridal Kiss. 



[51 



THE ARGUMENT. 

To the attentive observer of nature it soon becomes man- 
ifest that she has but one goal, viz., the super-abundance 
of life: life in innumerable forms, in countless variations 
and endless ecstasies, a mantle covering completely the habit- 
able sphere, penetrating every nook and cranny in earth and 
sea and air, pulsating and throbbing with miraculous in- 
tensity, the very self-realization of the Infinite God. It is 
a harp of a thousand chords, of whose music our joys and 
sorrows form component parts and counterparts, l3ut who 
He is that sounds it according to His will. Him we know 
only from afar, for we are but the finite atoms of the 
Infinite Soul pouring itself forth in eternal strains. 

Life is creative. It finds its fullest expression in a grad- 
ually advancing evolution through ceaseless self-renewal. 
All nature dies today in order that more triumphantly she 
may be reborn to-morrow. It is in her self -renewal that she 
is most beautiful and interesting. For this purpose is the 
romance of love and the strength of passion, that the resur- 
rection be made sure. For this the flower adorns itself in 
ravishing beauty and carries its enticing nectar. For this 
is the music of the nightingale and the affections of men. 
Youth and Love are nature's preparation for a further step 
in her progress, hence marriage is the most charming event 
in the divine panorama. 

But what of the seed that falls by the wayside and the 
terrors of death? They are not meaningless, because it is 
life revelling in its glory, the whole path to nature's goal 
is strewn with flowers. True, not all the seeds can live, yet 
the marriage of stamen and pistil was an hour of the per- 
fection of enjoying, since the consummation of love is 
nature 's deepest draught. And even where the flower was 
broken before it had been betrothed to its waiting mate, 
it was in its bridal dress a thing of beauty, tremulous witli 
the anticipation of its destiny. 

Neither is death life's enemy, but rather the door of its 
opportunity. The old are dying that there may be room for 
youth with new wooing days and life be not merely endless, 
but run its course in a ceaseless nuptial kiss. 



[6] 

THE BETROTHAL OF RONALD AND 
THUSNELDA. 

DRAMATIS PERSONAE: 

Mom us, God of Satire. 

Amor, God of Love. 

Knight Ronald of Oi^terdingkn, Bridegroom. 

Thusnklda, Daughter to Lothar, Baron of Alt- 

NACH, Bride. 
Sigunf, Mother to Thusnelda. 
Bridesmaids. 
Young Flower-Girl. 
Second Flower-Girl. 
Older Flower-Girl. 
Berthelind, Ethelried, Rosamund, Sisters to Thus- 

nelda. 
Ragni, an Outcast. 
Cupid, God of Love. 
The Heavenly Choir. 
Nereid and Naiad, Bridal Nymphs. 
CuNiNA, THE Disconsolate, a Nymph. 
The Furies. 

Freya, Goddess of Health. 
Prayer of the Unborn. 
Eunice, the Un wooed, a Bridesmaid. 

SCENE : 
The Castle of Ofterdingen, in the Thuringian Forests, 

in part. 
The Elysian Regions, in Heaven^ in part. 

TIME: 

The Nuptial Night. 

PERIOD: 
The Middle A^es. 



[7] 




PRELUDE. 

Momus, god of satire. 
Amor, god of love. 



Momus (satirically) to Amor: — 
On virgin-tongues, 

Amor, there goes a tale 
Of two lovers, 

Named Tristan and Isolde, 
Which tale a riddle holds. 

1 trow thou canst not solve. 
Isolde was daughter to a king, 
But Tristan not of royal blood. 
He wooed not wisely 

When the princess of the land 

The serf would wed. 

To the desert was he banished 

For his folly. 

Yet hadst thou thy mischief wrought. 

Hadst dipped thy arrow in his blood 

And sent it through the maiden's heart. 

Straightway her snow-white doves 

She harnessed. 

Who to her lover carried her 



[8] 

And then died of the desert-thirst. 

'Twas more than three days' journey 
Into the wilderness, 
— So goes the tale — 
And no other shelter there 
Than in the stone 
The ]\IinnegTotto cleft. 
Yet three years 
These lovers lived 
Content and happy there, 
And so witchingly each other loved 
That their love 
The hope of maidens is. 
Now tell me, thou gay deceiver, 
Whence in the desert came 
Their bread 

And whence their drink? 
For without sustenance 
They could not live. 
And unless they lived 
They could not love? 

Amor, (seriously) to Momus: — 

O Momus, to skeptics such as thou. 
Truth opens not her silver-mines. 
I know the tale, 
And know it true. 
Where love is 
There is no desert. 
And what they ate and drank ? — 
The lovers on each other gazed : 
On that they lived. 
The harvest of the eye 
Was food sufficient. 
Their steadfastness. 



19] 



Their love and troth, 

Their vows, 

The open-heartedness, 

Which is the true bread 

Of wedded souls : 

These were the fruits 

They freely plucked. 

A well in the desert 

Became the confidence. 

Each in the other had, 

And love the plowman 

Which turned the rocks 

Into fertile soil. 

Together in their tillage 

Did they walk, 

And with the birds of heaven vied 

With music of the heart 

To fill the air. 

Their love so true. 

Their hearts so pure. 

That sun and moon and stars 

These trusting souls 

Their favor showed. 

'Tis no mystery: 

For stony wastes 

Are not love's limit. 

And plighted hearts 

From obstacles 

Draw the relish of their feast. 



ACT I. 

SCENE : —Castle Of terdingen. 

PERSONS:— 
Ronald. 

Thusnelda. 

Bridesmaids. 

Flower-girls. 

Berthelind, Ethelried, Rosamund. 

INTERLUDE:— 

Ragni, the Outcast. 



[ill 

PROLOG. 

'Twas a June day memorable; 
The birds sang sweeter, 
And the evening star shone brighter, 
When Lord Ronald 
Did Thusnelda wed: 
For never gallant knight 
A lovelier maiden 
To her bridal consecration led. 

Thusnelda, before donning her bridal garments, has 
absented herself from the festivities, to take fare- 
zvell of her favorite trysting-place. 
For just once more, 
For my last farewell, 
To thee, my faithful tree, 
I flee, 

Before the ring forever 
To another's will commits 
My happiness. 

Thou hast heard his pleading 
And witnessed my consenting: 
His arguments. 
And my believing. 
Hast seen how bright and golden 
And jewel-studded, he showed the chain 
By which to his authority 
He is intent to shackle me. 
Persuading me that bondage to him 
Is greater freedom than my liberty. 
If it ever be 

The bondage in his kisses, 
In his endearing arms. 
In love's unfailing rapture. 



[12] 



O then of iron 

Let my bonds be wrought. 

But now, before the gate forever closes, 
While yet my soul is mine, 
Its virgin-conscience writing-free. 
Before I yield my all, 

And plunge into the ransom-spurning deep, 
O my guardian tree, 
Tell me truly now : 
Will his love endure? 
His kisses last? 
Steadfast his heart abide? 
And his assurance never shadow throw ? 
For, O, if from that golden chain 
The jewels drop, 
And from his eye 
The love-light die. 
And from his voice 
The mellow accent fade, 
Then tongue can never tell 
The anguish of my stricken heart. 

Thou wert the sponsor of our troth, 
Does the rustling of thy leaves 
Dare to tell me eye to eye 
That Ronald is a lover true, 
A lover to the end? 

Farewell, then. 
As the seal of my fate 
Boldly I break. 
But yet a moment more 
Till the sweetness 1 rehVarse 
That now ripens 
Into my wedding-morn. 



The Maiden and Her Trousseau 

g^^^^pY heart is hopeful, 
IVf W ^y heart is heavy, 
^ ,j|i My heart is singing, 
^^^^& My heart is dumb. 
The flower once plucked 
Can never bloom again. 
Short is the morning-kiss 
And long the day: 
A two-fold meaning 
Hath the bridal dress. 



[13] 



So gently thy boughs 
Bend low, 
And twine 
With the vine 
To graceless jesters 
Undisclosed to hold 
This bower mine. 

I came upon this place when a child 
I gathered blue-berries wild. 
Here I sobbed my infant griefs, 
Here I prayed my real prayers : 
Did my penance, 
And walked with God. 
Here I built my castles of hope 
And hid myself 

For my prince to light upon me. 
— My lover led I here. 
And none, never none else. 



The maidens call me now. 
O, why so eager to prepare me captive ? 
A twofold meaning 
Hath the bridal dress. 
T am willing, but there is time. 
For anon, then, virgins, call in vain. 
In my last leave-taking let me linger, 
'Tis my girlhood's sanctuary 
I must leave forever. 
For the last hour mv own 
Then his — 
A consort? 
Or passion's puppet? 
Which?— 
Ah me ! Soothsaying never avails 



[14] 



When maiden-hopes 
Their heart-strings anchor. 



This is the place 
Where Ronald the brave 
Hath wooed me so gently and fiercely, 
Wooed me as maiden loves to be wooed 
By the tyrant-emperor of woman's heart. 
This is the branch. 
And this is the root 
Where so often I made him sit. 
Thus his arms would round me steal, 
Thus on his bosom I reclined. 
Thus would he speak of his love, 
And thus he kissed my lips. 
(Nectar such as angels never drank.) 

How strong, how noble he is. 
So fearless, so daring. 
He purchased my life. 
My gratitude is his and my love. 
'Twas in yonder field, 
Ethelried and I, daisies we sought, 
When my father's mad bull he braved. 
The awful horns I felt 
Entangled in my dress. 
Then Ronald's wild cry. 
His terrible cry of war, I heard, 
(How sweet to me the sound.) 
He seized the beast 
And choked the fuming Inostrils. 
O terrible the battle. 
Round and round they circled, 
His veins and muscles grew big. 
Great drops of sweat fell from his brow : 



[15] 



A groan, a mighty pull 
And awry was wrenched 
The stiff neck of the brute. 

But to me. 
How gentle is he ! 
Softly, as among downs, 
I nestle in his strength, 
And as upon velvet, 
I lay my cheek in his hands, 
And gaze into the light of his eyes. 
— O the happiness that here has been mine ! 

I watched him carve his name 
Into the bark of the tree; 
Then over it traced he mine : 
Said he ever held me above him. 
And made a circle around both : 
Said it was love's fortress 
As valiant knight 
He would for me defend. 
Then from near my feet 
He plucked violets 
And twined them into my locks. 
And pelted me with apple-blossoms. 
And from yonder brook 
Gathered forget-me-nots. 
With butter-cups from the ponds 
And luscious berries 
Out of the meadow. 
With kisses between, 
He gave me to eat. 
And seized me in his arms 
And kissed me more. 
So Ronald hath loved me here 
As maiden was never loved before. 



161 



But, farewell, sweet trysting place among the 

ferns : 
Farewell, my bower green, farewell. 



AT THE CASTLE. 

Ended is the wedding-banquet, 
The merry crowd hath danced its last, 
The boisterous guests departed: 
The nuptial benediction 
Ofterdingen's walls overspreads. 
Bride and bridegroom their holy hour 

approach, 
And angel-spirits hover near. 
As the lovers 

To the feast of love draw near. 
To drink the cup of Paradise 
The gods to men have given. 



HISTORICAL. 

The ancient Thuringian marriage consisted of several parts. 
There was a public procpssion to the church with its religious 
ceremou}'. Then came the feast at the castle or tne T)ride- 
groom, in which the public and the guests took part. But 
after the departure of the guests there followed a more 
sacred ceremony at which only the immediate family and 
chosen friends of the bride were present. Its chief parts 
were the strewing of flowers, the lighting of the bridal 
candles and burning of incense by the girl-friends of the 
bride. | 

For this occasion she wore a symbolical girdle of flowers 
and wreath upon her head. The entrance to the bridal bower 
consisted of an arch of flowers with n symbolical threshold 
and the marriage-ceremony was not considered complete till 
the bridegroom took up his bride in his arms, placing her lips 




The Woodland Flo^wer 



YOUTH went for adventures forth 
Far from the city's grime, 
Far from travel's hardened path, 
Into the woodland and forest deep. 

There came he upon a rare and precious flower. 

The flower would he pluck, 

And rashly tear the bleeding stem 

From its twining rootlets forth. 

The petals quivered, 

Softly sang the nightingale above: 

Heal what thou hast broken 

With thy kiss; 

Inviolate with thee 

Remain the beauty of her soul. 



[17] 

to his, and thus with his kiss carried her across the bridal 
threshold to her new life. 

Thereupon it became his duty to unloosen her girdle and 
deposit it upon the altar, when the candles and incense would 
be lit, the flower-girls and bridesmaids pass in procession 
through the bridal arch and receive from the bride a flower 
plucked from her wreath and also taking one from the bridal 
girdle upon the altar, which were treasured as love-charms 
by those who took part in the rites. The following are the 
songs sung on these occasions: — 



SONG OF THE BRIDESMAIDS. 

(Addressed to the bridegroom, zvhile carrying his 
bride through the bridal arch.) 

Tenderly now take thy bride 
Into thy arms. 
In thy heart enshrine her, 
With thy soul adore her, 
Thy queen appoint her. 
As the apple of thine eye 
Do thou guard her. 
The beauty of her soul 
Inviolate with thee remain. 
To unclouded espousal 
Do thou lead her 
Through the portal 
Of thy lover-kiss. 



SONG OF THE BRIDESMAIDS. 

(Addressed to Thusnelda, zvhile reclining in her lov- 
er's arms.) 

To-day thou art fair. 
Yet on the morrow shalt thou fairer be. 



18] 



To-day thou art the rosy bud, 

To-morrow the unfolding blossom. 

Thy crown is now preparing 

For the noon-tide sun 

Thy morning to eclipse. 

Then, O, our sister, as thy lips 

The kiss of womanhood receive 

Do thou pray for us, 

For to Life's priestess 

Of Heaven nothing is denied. 

The flowers of thy wreath 
Now cast to us 
As sacred token 

That before twelve moons have passed 
We, too, the golden path shall walk. 



SiGUNE, Mother to Thusnelda, aside: — 

Thus of the jewels of the mother-heart 
Builds youth its summer-house: 
And with lavish hands 
Scatters the gems 
Of tears and anxious watching 
As if it were the sea-shore's sand. 
Her that is more than life to me 
To him I give: 

Yet must not show the trickling tear 
And without sign of loss 
Renounce my bosom-treasure, 
Because a wooer ^ 

On her his eye hath cast. 
Joy for them her garlands winds 
While her twin-sister Sorrow 
Beckons me the dreary path 



[191 



With her to walk. 

O motherhood, thou meaning-laden word, 

Storehouse of the heart's 

Unfathomed treasuries. 

From doll to wedding-bells, 

And thence to children's children. 

Thy tortuous emotions 

Run the gamut of a woman's heart. 

Half joy, half pain : 

Yet neither would I miss 

For of the higher and the lower chords 

This soul-deep harmony is wrought. 

I knew my spring was past. 
Yet in my fancy proudly wore 
The summer's bloom upon my brow, 
— Since Venice's mirrors 
Have not yet tinged my hair with gray — 
When Berthelind, my first-born, came, 
Drew me aside, and stammered : 
"Mother, O Grandmother dear." 
Then I heard the toll of autumn leaves. 
And bade my quivering heart 
Turn to view the setting sun. 
I can grow no more, 
No longer glad surprises 
Are held for me in store. 
Hence only can I give: 
Nevermore receive. 
My joy must be 
With others to rejoice. 
And from younger faces 
Wipe the tears. 
Friend, counselor and guide 



[20] 



Through Hfe's entangled mazes 
Perchance I may yet be : 
But actor on the stage 
In its enchanted dream? 
Not once again 
— Gone are my days of youth. 
Ah, for love, 
Life is much too short. 
'Twas but yesterday 
Tiny garments I fashioned 
In hope of promises yet unfulfilled. 
(With daring I had braved the dawn, 
And with a song my eager heart, 
If fate had so ordained, 
To its execution would have gone.) 
But to-day with other feelings 
I watch my daughters do the same. 



One by one 
Are my blossoms plucked 
To shine for other eyes. 
Soon a branchless tree, 
Of its glory shorn, 
I stand. 

Deep cuts the knife: 
But they shall never know. 
See how he snatches her from mc, 
And as robber to his lair 
He carries her. ^ 

And she herself 
Bids me welcome 
The spoiler of my heart : 
For that she has a mother 
A bride knows not. 



[21. 



Ah, woman never gives herself alone 
Her own, and her mother's soul, 
Both she strews at her lover's feet. 



Yet do I acknowledge 
That dear to me is Ronald: 
Since I of my son. 
And he of his mother is bereft. 
When first to me 
Thusnelda brought him in 
He grasped my hand and kissed it 
And faintly lisped the wonder-word 
"Mother" unto me. 
Then tears filled his pleading eye. 
I kissed him on the brow 
And softly answered, "Son," 
Then left them to each other, 
Fled to my room and wept : 
For in tears alone the woman-heart 
Can gush its fulness forth. 

But to-night, not yet 
Is the time of tears, 
A little longer 

Must I steel myself against the floods 
That no discord in their joy be heard. 
With happy mien will I stand 
Till the breaking of all ties is done : 
Then will I take my empty heart 
And we will weep. 
Alone will we weep. 

Young Flowkr-Girl (passing through the bridal 
arch) : — 

I know not what I carry. 



(22] 



Nor why upon this altar 

These flowers so trembHngly I lay. 

My heart, O my heart, 

With fear and joy 

It flutters strange and full. 

I know a youth so fair, 

He looked on me the other day : 

O what meant his look? 

What meant his look? 



Second Flower-Girl: — 

With reverence this flower 
From thy bridal girdle 
To my breast I pin: 
For I am older, sisters, than you thinls 
My heart is ready. 
Pining, ah, for him 
Who is my sun. 

To my lips this flower I press, 
Now do I consecrate myself: 
After this no other kiss. 
Till he whose right it is 
Shall come. 



Older Flower-Girl, aside: — 
O lover mine! 
Why dost thou tarry? 
Pluck up thy courage 
And make bold ^ 

To ask of me the question 
Which most I dread, 
Yet almost dying, long to hear. 
O lisp the pregnant word 



[23] 



That shall make me faint and pale 
And shake me as an aspen-leaf. 
To thy arrow 
I my heart lay bare. 

O ask of me, 
And ask enough 
That I be no longer free, 
But be pledged forever unto thee. 



Ethklrikd, Sister to Thusnelda, one of the Brides- 
maids: — 

I must not, I dare not tell, 
Yet silence cannot keep. 
Have ever you seen 
A face so blushing, 
And lips so red as mine? 
A girl as a dove so shy 
And happy as the lark? 

The reason? — 
He hath kissed me. 
Much, O much, against my will. 
And I kissed him back, 
(Against my will). 
He clasped me in his arms. 
He drew me to his breast, 
I said "You must not!" 
He drew me closer, 
(1 could not breathe), 
I held him fast. 
And kissed once more. 
How many followed, I cannot confess : 
For you would never believe me 
They could be so many, 
So sweet and so long. 



[24] 



'Tis our secret, 

For our love is true: 

I am happy, 

His kiss hath made me so. 



A BridE)smaid, to herself: — 

When for the holy war 
From our village he departed, 
He took me by the hand : 
He pressed it warmly, 
Then caressed it, 
And looked into my eyes 
Down into my heart. 
He went, 
And never message has he sent me. 

men are fickle, 
Men are false. 

Perhaps he meant it not, 
But my heart is heavy. 
He broke the sacred seal, 
And kept the key: 

1 cannot be another's, 
Yet he claims me not. 
I am forsaken. 

In the silent watches of the night 
I shed my burning tears, 
The vision faileth me, 
My hope is dimmed. 
My heart is sore. 

Rosamund, Thusnelda's youngest sister: — 

O Thusnelda, the dearest of my sisters. 
Till Ronald came 



[25] 



All thy heart I possessed. 
(Mayhap for thy sake 
Do I forgive him). 

the men — 
From thy lips 

Thy last virgin kiss 

Have I come to snatch, 

And well-guarded 

Will I keep it in my vow 

Never to be bound or wed: 

For youth's holiday 

In the marriage-ring is ended. 

Each wedding leaner makes 

My comradeship. 

Berthelind scarce knows me now 

Since her baby came 

(The sweet little thief) 

— She says 1 do not understand. — 

And in her happiness 

No room for me hath Ethelried, 

In a day 

Is she a woman grown: 

She romps with me no more. 

And, dearest Thusnelda, 

1 know it well. 

As to thy lover thou art closer drawn 

To me wilt thou colder grow. 

I hate the men. 

The cause of this 

And all our other griefs. 

I hate them all — 

All but One. 



[261 

Berth ELiND^ Thusnelda's married sister, while the 
bridal candles and incense are lit, in a whisper: — 

O sister dear, the fairest of us four, 
Soon at life's altar shalt thou stand 
And heaven's blessing claim. 
Let me whisper in thy ear 
Not to fear 

When the dawn of womanhood 
Thy being thrills. 
Thy lover is an honorable man, 
(I've read it in his eye) 
Tender and kind, 
Strong to rule the unruly realm. 
Unwaveringly cast thyself into his trust 
And without question 
Give as woman gives. 

With gladness 
Thy treasure shalt thou bear, 
The hallowed secret know, 
And find thy nature's satisfying, 
For the tenderest joy 
In the deepest pain is rooted. 



FINAL CHORUS OF THE BRIDESMAIDS. 

(While leaving the bridal bower.) 

A bridegroom so handsome, 
So manly, ^ 

To thy safekeeping 
We commit our sister 
Spotless as Eve in Paradise 
Heaven's perfect handiwork. 
With thy strength overshadow her, 




A Bride Adorned for Her 
Husband 



HY such infinite pains 
11 For my dress 

And my adorning? 
'Tis for him. 
His joy 

Is all my thought and care. 
No misplaced lock 
Must show my hair. 
No unsmoothed ruffle 
Disclose my dress. 
Each one a treasured flower 
One more for him 
To crush and disarrange. 
To the brim would I fill his cup 
And rich his spoiling make 
For Life's one sweetest hour 
Is the Bridal Hour. 



27 



[27] 



With thy life redeem her: 
Worthily to thy arms 
Receive her! Good Night. 



CHORUS OF THE FLOWER-GIRLS. 

Flowers red, flowers white, 
Flowers young, flowers fresh, 
Flowers enchanted, flowers prophesying 
At thy feet we strew: 
For thy path 

Is the path of roses and of lilies: 
The mystery that with the rainbow's halo 
Shall thy face transform : 
For youth's one sweetest hour 
Is the bridal hour. — Good Night. 



[28] 



INTERLUDE. 

RAGNI, THE OUTCAST. 

Ragni, a former companion of Thusnelda and her 
friends, but nozv an outcast, has stealthily ap- 
proached the castle-windozv, and with her young 
babe secretly watched the nuptials: 

O Thusnelda, never canst thou know 
How the innocent do suffer. 
'Tis well thou thinkest not of me this hour, 
For I would not mar thy joy : 
Only from afar behold 
What for myself I hoped. 
Yet each flower in thy wreath 
Is to my side a pricking thorn. 
1 loved so much, so truly, 
And trusted so confidingly: 
I believed him honest as myself. 
But he basely left me : 
Left me with the pledge 
Of woman's crowning-glory: 
The babe that now proclaims\my shame. 



Proud as the proudest 
By his side would I have walked3 



[291 

And with my infant shown myself 

At every pubHc concourse triumphant 

That I am not a woman born in vain. 

But, ah, my darling, 

How heavily thy father's sins 

Do fall upon us ! 

He forsook me. 
Broke the oath he swore me: 
Wherefore, O my sisters, ye tread me under 

foot. 
Ye mock me for my trust, 
And hold your skirts aloof from me 
As if I were a viper. 
With fresh stumbling blocks 
Ye daily pave my thorny path. 
I am cast off. 

Therefore ye declare me fallen. 
O for a friendly tear, 
A sympathizing heart ! 
But alas there is no bosom-friend, 
Nor boon-companion, nor sister 
For her whom her lover wronged. 

But for my babe, in part 
Ye would forgive me. 
— As if the sin were less 
That is in secret done. — 
Ye know not what I suffer: 
Ye know not how I love 
This orphan-child, ye call a bastard, 
And a child of sin. 
Nay, to me 'tis a child of succor, 
'Twas born of faith and love, 
'Tis my inmost own 
Twice am I its mother, 
Once in the God-appointed pains 



[30] 



And now in persecution. 

Why do ye judge so harshly : 

The child sinned not, 

And I, its mother. 

Suffer, as no other mortals suffer. 

His father's love hath failed him 

But never faileth 

Mother-love and woman's constancy. 

Ah, my fatherless darling, 
On what unfriendly shores art thou cast. 
The righteous wish thee dead, 
The scoffers mock thee as the harlot's child, 
And hypocrites hail thee 
As the welcome prod 
To gash my bleeding heart anew. 
Because thy father left us 
Must we ever tremble 
As the sparrow from the hawk, 
And walk with downcast eyes, 
And creep about by night, 
(For in the sunlight scorners sit) 
And ever eat our bread in tears. 
O let us heaven's judgment seek, 
For surely He that knows it all 
Cannot be so unmerciful 
As is the world to her 
Who loved and was forsaken. 



Come, my sleeping darling. 
Thy mother never was a bride : 
(Unholy hands robbed us of our crown) 
Let us end our misery. 
'Twas at yonder lake 
On a mild autumn night, 



[31] 

The grass was yet green, 

The leaves were gold and yellow, 

I with my lover sat 

(Then still a lover true) 

— When heaven our betrothal witnessed. — 

There, in the cool waves. 
Of that self-same lake 
Will we find the soothing of our sorrow. 

She seizes her babe and in a fit of despair runs zvith 
it to the lake. As she arrives at its shores, the moon 
stands full above the forest. The babe awakens and 
opens its eyes. 

One last look now, the very last 
Into these sweet blue eyes. 
A kiss, then the grewsome murmur of the 

waves, 
And all is over. 

Ah my babe, thou wert his covenant of love. 
In thine eyes I see him once again, 
His better self is there : 
How could he do it? 
Warm upon the bed 
In another's arms now he lies, 
And thou and I, how we suffer 
Homeless in the cold ! 
O God, we come : 
In thy mercy this thy child receive. 

(Walks to the brink of the zuater, but hesitates for 
a moment) 

Nay, but thou art his child. 
And my heart not wholly closed to him. 



[32] 



— But vain is my hope. — 

How have I for thee suffered! 

—Still will I suffer— 

And uncomplainingly woman's lot 

Upon me take: 

For to make atonement of man's sin 

Was woman born. 

Thou art innocent. 

— Sacred was the hour — 

His baseness I'll forgive 

And heaven bless 

I thee possess. 



ACT II. 

SCENE:— The Bridal Bower. 
Cupid, 
Ronald, 
Thusnelda. 



[35] 



IN THE BRIDAL BOWER. 

Cupid, to the lovers: — 

When once upon a time 
The Lord of Life 
A charmed flower would plant, 
He did not with lightning rend the sky 
And summoned not the giants of the air 
With thunder-trumpet forth. 
Gentleness he laid upon his mighty strength. 
He sought a shaded, dewy spot. 
He hushed the storm 
And hung ^ol's harp 
Upon the entrance 
Of the foliage-covered bower 
Hid from the garish sun. 
There in the moist earth 
A little root he buried. 
And painted green 
The broad leaves 
Of the jewel's setting. 
The flower-bell 
He made of purest white. 
Gave it a golden heart. 
And sent an angel 
To hide therein 
A maiden-kiss. 



[36] 



So was the lily of the valley made. 
Modest, yet in beauty unsurpassed, 
Of faith and love and hope 
The emblem grows. 

So kiss the kiss of youth 
As lilies kiss : 
And kiss again. 
And deeper yet again, 
Till ye be no longer twain. 



Thusnelda, to herself: — 

I am nearly faint, 

My bosom heaves. 

My heart beats fast, 

A virgin I am to the altar led 

To be a woman born. 



Ronald, to himself: 



How pure, 
How beautiful and lovely 
Is my Thusnelda. 
How trustful the questioning 
Of her eyes ! 

What lips for kissing made! 
Fair art thou as the placid lake. 
Thy face of heaven's blue 
The perfect mirror. 
O may no cloud thy radiance dim 
As in awe I take thee to myself 
And in thy kisses bathe. 



[37] 

Then to Thusnelda, taking her hand and caressing 
it:— 

Dearest, dost remember, 
When first thou gavest me this hand? 
'Twas at my mother's grave, 
Thou stood'st beside me there, 
'Twas God who led thee there. 
In that^hour of darlcness 
Thou came'st a shining star 
Across my path. 

Thy gentle sympathy brought hope 
In hopeless days. 
Thou griev'dst with me, 
And assuaged'st my grief. 
Thy modest dignity entranced my heart. 

Sweet were our wooing days. 
Sweet the light 
Then shining in thine eyes. 
I knew thou lovedst me truly. 
Yet kep'st thyself a guarded fortress. 
But in that hour so holy 
When the stars their love-beams twinkle. 
And angels from immortal thrones descend 
To sigh for mortal bliss. 
Thou didst of me accept thy bridal kiss. 

O the thrills and rapture of that kiss ! 
The earnest of our happiness to-be, 
The budding of our hope. 
The promise of our life's fruition : 
O that first kiss of thine. 
On this day that thou art wholly mine, 
O kiss it to me again 
A thousand thousand times. 



[38] 

Kisses her with a long kiss, then tenderly: 

Thusnelda, Dear One^ 
We are bride and bridegroom now ; 
The words of the holy priest 
Have made us One. 



Thusnelda zvhispers: — 

1 know it, 
I am happy in thy arms, 
Altogether do I trust myself to thee. 
And thou wilt never fail me, 
Wilt thou, Ronald, 
For I am proud of thee? 



Ronald.- — 

My love far stronger is 
Than the holy oath I vowed. 
No power in earth or heaven 
Can break it. 
Give me thy lips again 
That I may swear my soul anew to thee. 



Cupid, to Thusnelda, while in her lover's rapturous 
embrace: — 

'Twas I that smote thy heart with love, 
'Twas I that bound him fast to thee, 
His eye shall see none fairer, 
His heart no other passion know. 
I told him of thy grace : 
I must prove it now to him. 



[391 



Give me thy veil and bridal garments, 

This night thou needest them no more. 

In all thy virgin-loveliness 

Before him shalt thou stand : 

Thy innocence his virtue's stay, 

His angel-enchantress 

And protecting goddess. 



ACT III. 
SCENE: — Heaven. The Elysian Regions. 
Ronald and Thusnelda. 
Nereid and Naiad, the Bridal Nymphs. 
The Heavenly Choir. 
Cunina, the Disconsolate. 
The Furies. 



[4 



HISTORICAL. 



According to an old Thuringian legend, each undefiled 
earthly marriage had a heavenly counterpart. It was said 
that at the instant of the wedded bridegroom's first kiss, the 
souls of the lovers were transplanted to Heaven by two bridal 
nymphs, named Nereid and Naiad, who conducted them to 
the Elysian regions and acted as their guides through the 
lieavenly nuptials. 

Antiphonal lightning from the Evening and Morn- 
ing stars announces to the divcUers in heaven the 
approach of the Bridal Souls. 

SONG OF THE HEAVENLY CHOIR. 

Hail to the Holy One, 
Hail to the Chosen One, 
Hail to the Bride, 
The morning-star of Life. 



Naiad, to the Betrothed: — 

O happy mortals, 
Who have vowed the vow 
Heaven-pleasing, 
Earth-redeeming, 
Here in Elysium's bowers 
Plight your troth anew 
That everything on earth begun 
In heaven its completion find. 

The lovers are conducted before Paltar, heaven's testing 
light, which will hide its face, if they are unworthy. If, on 
the other hand, they are found pure, the light is not dimmed. 
(The impure are not allowed any further progress in heaven. 
They are forever denied entrance to Fensalir and are sent 
back to earth with a worm gnawing at their vitals.) 



[42] 

Ronald and Thusnelda pass before P altar: — the 
light remains undimmed, they are allozved full access 
to the Elysian regions. 

Nerfjd, to Ronald: — 

Consider the jewel that to thee is given. 
For thou knowest not 
The age-long groaning of the universe, 
The yearning, silent brooding 
Of the Spirit 
Till from chaos 
Woman's beauty did arise: 
Nor how in agonies untold 
And blindly groping, 
Ever upward striving, 
Ever thwarted, devious paths 
Compelled to wander, 
Seeking light 

And never the veil of darkness 
Fully piercing, 
Thirsting after truth 
And still unquenched remaining: 
O in what birth-throes 
Is perfection born ! 
— There she stands. 
Heaven's glory, now thy bride. 

. Nymphs now carrj'- Thusnelda to Glitnir, the crystal lake, 
and assist her in the bridal bath. Nereid leads Ronald around 
the lake in the opposite direction till he meets his bride again. 

NerKid to Ronald: — 

Glitnir, this crystal sea. 
Is Life's mysterious fountain, 
The secret of the lily's white, 



[43] 



The fragrance of the rose, 

The tulip's color 

And the verdant green of Spring. 

'Tis the love-note of the nightingale, 

The heart of music, 

And of art the soul 

Perfection's mirror, to show thee 

What else from mortal eyes is veiled, 

What thou hast never seen, 

Hast never known. 

And never dreamed: 

Fairer than myself. 

Though in heaven I am accounted fair. 

Behold, now yonder look, 

What seest thou? 



Ronald, anszvering: — 

I see a goddess 
By her train attended 
In the tranquil waters bathing. 
And fairies in the silver-spray 
Her roseate image tracing. 



Then, to himself: — 



I dare not look again. 
My heart, keej) still, 
And be not reckless : 
The conquest of the gods 
Is not for thee. 



[44] 

Nereid, to Ronald: — 

Come with me 
The hidden path 
On GHtnir's shore 
And let thy love-sighs urge thee on 
Till the echo of thy heart 
Thou find. 



THUSNELDA, reclining upon the shore, is handed a magic 
mirror by one of her attendants. 

Naiad, to TJiusuelda: — 

Look deep into this mirror 
And of it thy future question. 
'Tis he who seeketh thee 
That walks the crystal path : 
Thy lover, lord and king. 

Thitsiiclda, absorbed in the mirror: — 

I always knew my Ronald was a man, 
And altogether a man. 
Yet far handsomer is he 
Than ever I divined. 
How erect he stands, 
How graceful in his strength. 
From head to foot 
No blemish upon him anywhere. 
No puny, weakling seed 
From him can issue. 
O Ronald, gladly and undismayed 



[45] 



Is Thiisnelda thy bride. 

O that I had a thousand hearts to give 
Instead of one, 
And were a goddess now, 
Then heaven's Hghts would I pluck 
To weave my lover's crown : 
Yet though I gave the day, 
And all the brightness of the sky, 
'Twere not half I fain would give to thee. 



Nereid, with Eonald, emerges from the shaded path. They 
e^me suddenly upon Thusnelda with her nymphs, braiding 
lilies of the valley into her hair. 

Ronald, upon beholding Thusnelda: — 

O Thusnelda, my bride, 
How spotlessly thy robe of innocence 
Thy hidden worth proclaims. 
Thy eyes, thy lips, thy hair 
Betray the sapphire-glow within. 
How marvelous the soul 
That such an habitation 
For its dwelling framed ! 
Thy skin so white ; 
Thy crimson blush 
As roses in the morning-dew. 
Thy arms a Goddess lent thee. 
Thy hands the Graces kissed. 
Thy loins in Beauty's curves enclosed, 
Thy feet with angel sandals shod : 
Thou art the queen of heaven 
And fairer than the fair. 
Never eyes have seen such comeliness 
As can with thee compare. 



[46] 

CUNINA, the disconsolate nymph of heaven, approaches to 
conduct the lovers to Fensalir, where they are to drink the 
cup of Immortality. 

HISTORICAL. 

It is said that Cunina always took unusual interest in the 
affairs of men. Once she witnessed the blush of a maiden at 
her first kiss and at another time came upon a young mother 
at play with her babe. She believed that here she saw hap- 
piness unknown in heaven. Thereafter she ever remained 
disconsolate. 

Cunina, to the lovers: — 

I have dwelt on earth 
And seen its sorrows, 
Beheld its pains 
And mourned the desolation 
That from human sin leaps forth : 
Yet love for all is compensation, 
The healing balm for deepest wounds. 
We here are called the Blest : 
We have no night. 

And hence know not the morning thrill. 
Here, where we never grow old, 
We were never young. 
We, that weep not at the grave. 
Can never feel the cradle-smile 
Tugging at the mother-heart 
And where there is no sorrow 
Rejoicing hath but half its worth. 
O, for an hour of youth and love 
I would exchange my changeless bliss 
And count not death 
Too high a price 
To gain a Lover's Paradise. 
And if over love that is lost 



TKe Cradle Smile 




MILE, baby mine, smile, 
, 'Tis thy papa's smile. 

Now smile again: 

'Tis mamma's smile this time. 
And one smile more: 
'Tis thy baby-smile. 
O how deeply through my soul 
Plays the cradle-smile 
This threefold chord of love 
On the harp of my heart. 



46 



A Youth, a Maiden, 
And a Riss 



HEY walked to-gether, 
They talked together, 
His voice grew soft 
Her heart beat loud. 

Softer still his voice 

Louder still her heart, 

Then language failed: 

A kiss — a conquered heart. 

'Tis done: 

The binding 

That shall have no unwinding. 




47 



147J 



I must mourn 

The bitter-sweetness 

Still is sweet. 



They arrive at Hymen's altar, where the lovers are bound 
with the silver chord. 

CuxixA, to the lovers: — * 

With unshod feet 
These steps ascend 
To the binding that 
Shall have no unwinding. 
Arm in arm. 
And hand clasping hand. 
That pulse beating upon pulse. 
Henceforth one life only 
Pulse through you both : 
With the silken silver-cord of love 
I bind you to unchanging faithfulness 
'Tis in the universe 
The strongest tie : 
The fire it abides 
And endures affliction. 
Naught but faithlessness can sunder it. 
And, O the horror of its breaking. 

Before entering Fensalir, they must pass the abode of the 
Furies, who demand the souls of the betrothed as fee, should 
they ever prove unfaithful to each other. 



First Fury, to the lovers: — 

Bride and bridegroom 
Say ye that ye are. 
And in one short hour would quaff 



[481 

The happiness 

Of all eternity's distilling. 

O heedless sons of men. 

Heaven's greatest gift 

Far too lightly do ye judge. 

Never to Fensalir shall ye pass 

Till ye swear 

With your souls forever to pay 

The penalty of faithlessness. 

The Furies, in chorus: — 

And we will claw your flesh, 
And tear your veins. 
And rend your heart. 
And suck your blood. 
And blind 3^our eyes. 
And thresh your vitals, 
And dance on your bones. 
And sink you into the vortex of hell. 
We will, we will. 

CuNiNA, sadly: — 

And the innocent 
Shall suffer more than the guilty. 

Second Fury, to Ronald: — 

And I will scatter thy youth, 
And shatter thy hopes, 
And the death-knell 
In thy marrow rattle. 

CuNiNA.- — 

And the innocent 
Shall suffer more than the guilty. 



[49] 
Third Fury, to Thusnelda: — 

And with the furrows 

Of sorrow 

Will I mar thy face. 

And for repentance 

There shall be no room 

In thy doom. , 

Cunina; — 

And the innocent 
Shall suffer more than the guilty. 



Tremblingly Thusnelda seeks shelter in Ronald's arras, 
who stoops to caress her, whereui3on, since love is stronger 
than fear, the Furies vanish. 

Cunina, to Thusnelda: — 

O happy daughter of earth, 

Heaven's goldenest path 

Dost thou tread. 

With thee to thy joy 

We may not enter. 

Thy consecration 

Is to us denied: 

For we are vestals only, 

Thou of life 

The sacred shrine itself. 

[The Lovers enter Fensalir.] 

The Heavenly Choir; — 

And God sazv the zuorks 
Which he had made 
And behold, they zvere very good. 



ACT IV. 
SCENE: — Fensalir, the Temple of Immortality. 

Freya, Goddess of Health and Fruitfulness. 

Bonald. 

Thusnelda. 



[51] 



FENSALIR. 

Ronald, to Thusnelda: — 

O Thusnelda, queen of my heart, 
How beautiful thou stood'st 
At Glitnir's waters. 
Now let me take thy hand and lips 
Thy Lover's sealing 
Shall be vouchsafed thee 
That thou thy completer self attain. 
To the awe of angels let us go : 
At thy being's solemn quiver 
I will near thee stand. 

Thusnelda, to herself: — 

How strange is Love! 
How deep its mysteries! 
Who is worthy 
Life's secret springs to touch 
And full womanhood to know? 

O my lover kind. 
My trembling pardon, 
And swear again to me 
Eternal constancy 
For I give my soul to thee 
White, as it came from God: 



[52] 

O SO let thy burning kiss 
Prove to me thine own 
Unstained purity, 
And though I doubt thee not 
'Tis sweet to hear thy vows. 

FEEYA, the Goddess of Health, enters and presents the 
Cup of Immortality to the Lovers: — 

This is the Cup of Immortality, 
Take each your chalice, 
And drink of it. 
—Then self with self exchange — 
And press it to each other's lips, 
And from the self-same spot 
The other drank 
Quafif it to the end 
Till soul in soul dissolve: 
For in the bridal blush to glow 
Is creation's final, perfect end 



The echo of the Heavenly Choir is heard in the 
portals of FensaUr: — 

What in heaven 
God hath joined to- get her, 
Let not man 
Asunder part. 

[Exit Freya. The lovers remain alone.] 



Ronald, to Thusnelda, zvhile drinking each othei^s 
cup : — 

O Thusnelda, bride of brides, 
How could I dream 
Thy marriage-kiss 



TKe Maiden at Her Devotions 



»sK^^:v.^:,w HEN at eventide 
At my bedside 






I bend my knees, 

All evil from me flees. 

In the confessing tear 

My God draws near. 

O blessed hour of prayer, 

How sweet to linger 

In thy fragrant air, 

Where bloom the flowers 

Of the rising sun. 



53 



[53J 



Would be this bliss 

With wealth untold 

In thee love's kingdom is endowed. 

Thou art truth transparent, 

Thy tender touch 

The healing 

Of Loki's poisoned darts.* 

O thou fairest jewel of womankind, f 

All the treasures of the soul 

Twice purified 

In thee are found. 

How bountifully thou now repay'st 
Thy reluctance of our wooing days 
When ne'er, but through a veil, 
Thy kisses thou wouldst grant. 
For thy great day 
Hast thou kept the manna. 
And ever presseth 
Sweeter sweetness to my lips. 
I gaze into thine eyes, 

rapturous delight! 

In the garden of thy heart, 

1 am received 

To feast with thee 

Where bloom the flowers 

Of the rising sun. 

All thy woman-hopes 

Hast thou plucked 

A poesy to gather me. 

With thyself thou enrichest me. 

I drink thy soul. 

Do thou drink mine — 

'Tis heaven itself — O more than heaven- 

I wed thee 

With the resurrection-kiss, 

'LOKI, the evil god in Thuringian mythology. 



[541 



Faith to her joy awakens, 

Our destiny 

With purple clothed, 

I am of thee — O happiness of happiness- 

And thou of me 

Forever and forever 

Each other's love-kissed other self. 



From Adnir, at the foot of the rainbow, out of the 
abyss of the Unborn, whose bonds only maiden-hands 
can loosen, prayer ascends to Thnsnelda's ears: — 

From out of the shadowy deep, 
From the timeless gloom 
And fetters of night. 
For our deliverance, 
O maiden, we plead with thee. 
Our unformed beings pity : 
O give us the dawn : 
With thyself our hunger still. 
And of the rainbow weave us 
Childhood's garment 
Of laughter and frolicsome days. 
Thy prayers teach our lips. 
And softly sing thy speech our mother-tongue. 
Sow freely of thy heart's aspiring 
Reap in us thy harvest of hope 
And out of our helplessness 
Build thee the fairest castle 
Of thy soul. 

ThusnElda, sings softly: — 

Tiny blossoms 
Praying for the morning sun, 



[55] 



Tiny hands 

By mother-yearning answered, 

Tiny voices 

My heart-throb's music chiming, 

Tiny tears 

By tenderest pity dried: 

Heaven's flowers 

I water with my hands. 



INTERLUDE ON EARTH. 

SCENE: — Bedchamber of Eunice, the Unwooed, 
a Bridesmaid. 



[57] 

EUNICE, THE UNWOOED. 

EuNiCK, sitting upon her bed, partly disrobed, toying 
zvith the Hozvers from the bridal girdle: — 

How becomingly did this girdle 
Thusnelda's waist encircle ! 
How proud she looked 
When so tenderly ♦ 

Ronald did unloosen it ! 
How beautiful to be a bride, 
O how I long — 
'Tis woman's glory, 
'Tis her all. 



Was I a woman born 
To be denied my right? 
And shall my nature 
Never reach its full intoxication? 
Nor never know its rightful pangs? 
And never taste the joy 
That lies beyond the mortal agony? 
Shall I never minister my infant's wants 
No sucklmg carry on my breast? 

who damns me so to fail 
Of my destiny: 

That childless^ unkissed 

And empty-handed 

My lonely, unmourned grave 

1 must seek? 



Full twenty summers have I seen 
Under my window 
The linden-tree 



[58] 



Deck herself in bridal green ; 

And heard the robin 

Twitter to its mate : 

"Hey-ho, Springtime is love-time, 

Here will we build our nest, 

And rear our brood. 

And live for love 

And love for life, 

Hey-ho, hey-ho.'' 



O is there no throne 
In the heart of some brave youth 
Where I may reign? 
What sin have I committed 
That no lover 

In the world is found for me? 
Am I not worthy as my sisters? 
Hath another 
As much as I to give ? 
Is it in vain. 
That pure I kept myself 
For him who does not come? 



In the dance 
Some have drawn me close, 
And whispered words unlawful : 
For I missed the love-lit eyes 
Of Passion's sacred fire 
Guarded holy in the heart. 
Wanton indulgence they sought 
And would heaven itself defile 
To gain a victim for their lust. 
No woman's heart could they unclasp 



[59] 



They meant not as they should, 

They wooed not truly, 

But added to my sorrow 

That tempters there are many 

And lovers none. 

O God, remember me! 



ACT V. 
SCENE : — C astle Of terdingen. 
Ronald and Thusnelda. 




TKe Treasure of the Toiler's 

Home, or 

The Husband's Riss 



HEN standing in our door-way, 
The even twilight 
Round me gathers, 
And thy child in my arms 

Down the roadside 

His father's form discovers, 

Returning from thy toil. 

And my heart once more 

Beats calm 

In assurance of my prayer answered 

That spared thee through the day. 

Then, O then, kiss me 

With thy husband-kiss. 



61 



[61] 
THUSNELDA. 

Thusne:lda, to herself: — 

The secret longings of my being 
Are now fulfilled. 
The eternal pleading answered. 
I am a happy bride. r 

I am a 'Woman' satisfied. 

Then to Ronald: — 

My star is risen high, 
With honor thy ring I wear. 
Give thy wife thy lips 
To kiss thee 
With her new kiss. 
At the appointed time 
Thy prayer in my body 
Shall be granted thee. 

So now shelter me, 
And watch over me 
With thy tenderest care. 
Sweetly in thy arms 
Will I sleep 
Till the morning dawn 
In the East. 

Then do thou waken me 
With thy husband-kiss. 

THE KND. 



I 




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